Method and system for preventing fraudulent use of credit cards and credit card information, and for preventing unauthorized access to restricted physical and virtual sites

Abstract

A method and system for preventing fraudulent card transactions and unauthorized access to computers and physical and virtual sites online and offline whether or not involving payment. A physical card, identified by a unique identification number (ID) is issued to the user. The method provides a system of password-protected, single-use, disposable Cybercoupons for secure, authenticated on-line credit transactions, each of the Cybercoupons comprising a personal user identification number (ID) modified by combination with a one-time Cybercode selected from a number of numeric or alphanumeric codes allocated by a credit supplier.

1 . A method for preventing fraudulent card transactions by enabling secure authentication of a user in a computerized card access transaction, said transaction typically associated with at least one activity performed by said user in transacting with a vendor, and wherein said at least one activity is performed by the user from among a group of activities relating to acquiring of goods or services, and/or access to a computer, a network and/or virtual and physical sites, said method comprising: 
 providing the user with a physical card by a card issuer, said card being embodied in a portable medium such as paper or plastic,    allocating to said physical card at least a unique card number and optionally an account number as well as a quantity of Cybercodes listed randomly or in a predetermined sequence and in which an indicator in said card number indicates that said card number is invalid unless it has been modified by said Cybercode and wherein, the user selects one Cybercode at a time randomly or in accordance with said sequence and uses said Cybercode to create a Cybercoupon comprising said card number modified by the addition of said Cybercode as an extension to said card number or by inserting said Cybercode in said card number in replacement of the equivalent number of digits in a predetermined position in said card number, said Cybercoupon being used in lieu of the user's card number when initiating a card transaction;    recording in a database associated with the card issuer for each card so provided, details of said card number and where applicable said account number together with said list of Cybercodes in said sequence and details of the user to whom the card has been provided;    providing the user with said list of Cybercodes in a document separate from the card itself;    preparing, by the user when a transaction is to be effected, of said Cybercoupon by combining said card number with a randomly chosen unused Cybercode or with the next available Cybercode in its predetermined sequence;    initiating the card transaction by communicating said Cybercoupon as part of said transaction, to the vendor in any manner whether or not involving online communications;    receiving said Cybercoupon at the vendor;    transmitting by the vendor to the card issuer of a request for authorization of the card transaction;    receiving said request for authorization at the card issuer;    marking in said database at the card issuer that the relevant Cybercode has been used and is therefore unavailable for repeated use in relation to said ID; and    processing the card transaction, in accordance with a predetermined authorization method comprising matching of the number and sequence of said Cybercode intended for said specific credit transaction, together with said relevant authentication data, against stored data in said database related to said credit transaction between said user and said vendor, thus validating and authenticating said specific credit transaction and no other irregular transaction purporting to be transacted by said user.    
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising: 
 receiving of said request initially by a Filter Program at the card issuer;    differentiating by said Filter Program between requests containing Cybercoupons generated by said added Cybercode method and requests containing other card numbers;    directing by said Filter Program of a request which does not contain said Cybercoupon to the card issuer's standard processing system and responding accordingly directly by the card issuer to the vendor;    forwarding a request which contains said Cybercoupon to a Translator Program associated with said Filter Program;    detecting by said Translator Program of the card number and the Cybercode used in a request containing a Cybercoupon;    comparing the data stored in said database to ensure that within predefined deviation parameters said Cybercode is in the correct position in the predetermined or random sequence and marking that it has now been used;    rejecting a request which fails any of said checks and notifying said vendor accordingly via said Filter Program;    substituting, in a request which has passed all checks, the relevant card number for said Cybercoupon and transmitting said request with said substituted card number, to the card issuer's standard processing system;    retaining a record of all incoming requests which contained Cybercoupons and said relevant card numbers which have been passed to the card issuer's standard processing system;    processing of said request for authorization by the card issuer's standard processing system in accordance with its standard criteria;    responding by said card issuer's standard processing system to said Translator Program that said request has been rejected if said criteria have not been met;    responding by said card issuer's standard processing system to said Translator Program that said request has been accepted if said criteria have been met;    replacing, by said Translator Program of said card number with said original Cybercoupon;    transmitting said response containing said Cybercoupon by said Translator Program to said Filter Program;    transmitting said response by the Filter Program to the vendor; and    transmitting said response to the user.    
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  implemented within a POS (Point of Sale) module provided to a vendor, for use in an over-the-counter transaction, wherein said Cybercoupon is created by a software program contained in said POS module.  
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3  wherein said user creates said Cybercoupon by combining said ID with said relevant Cybercode in the prescribed manner.  
     
     
         5 . A system for preventing fraudulent card transactions by enabling secure authentication of a user in a computerized card access transaction, said transaction typically associated with at least one activity performed by said user in transacting with a vendor, and wherein said at least one activity is performed by the user from among a group of activities relating to acquiring of goods or services, and/or access to a computer, a network and/or virtual and physical sites, said system comprising: 
 means for providing the user with a physical card by a card issuer, said card being embodied in a portable medium such as paper or plastic;    means for allocating to said physical card at least a unique card number and optionally an account number as well as a quantity of Cybercodes listed randomly or in a predetermined sequence and in which an indicator in said card number indicates that said card number is invalid unless it has been modified by said Cybercode and wherein, the user selects one Cybercode at a time randomly or in accordance with said sequence and uses said Cybercode to create a Cybercoupon comprising said card number modified by the addition of said Cybercode as an extension to said card number or by inserting said Cybercode in said card number in replacement of the equivalent number of digits in a predetermined position in said card number, said Cybercoupon being used in lieu of the user's card number when initiating a card transaction;    means for recording in a database associated with the card issuer for each card so provided, details of said card number and where applicable said account number together with said list of Cybercodes in said sequence and details of the user to whom the card has been provided;    means for providing the user with said list of Cybercodes in a document separate from the card itself;    means for preparing, by the user when a transaction is to be effected, of said Cybercoupon by combining said card number with a randomly chosen unused Cybercode or with the next available Cybercode in its predetermined sequence;    means for initiating the card transaction by communicating said Cybercoupon as part of said transaction, to the vendor in any manner whether or not involving online communications;    means for receiving said Cybercoupon at the vendor;    means for transmitting by the vendor to the card issuer of a request for authorization of the card transaction;    means for receiving said request for authorization at the card issuer;    means for marking in the said database at the card issuer that the relevant Cybercode has been used and is therefore unavailable for repeated use in relation to said ID; and    means for processing the card transaction, in accordance with a predetermined authorization method comprising matching of the number and sequence of said Cybercode intended for said specific credit transaction, together with said relevant authentication data, against stored data in said database related to said credit transaction between said user and said vendor, thus validating and authenticating said specific credit transaction and no other irregular transaction purporting to be transacted by said user.    
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 5  further comprising: 
 means for receiving of said request initially by a Filter Program at the card issuer;    means for differentiating by said Filter Program between requests containing Cybercoupons generated by said added Cybercode method and requests containing other card numbers;    means for directing by said Filter Program of a request which does not contain said Cybercoupon to the card issuer's standard processing system and responding accordingly directly by the card issuer to the vendor;    means for forwarding a request which contains said Cybercoupon to a Translator Program associated with said Filter Program;    means for detecting by said Translator Program of the card number and the Cybercode used in a request containing a Cybercoupon;    means for comparing the data stored in said database to ensure that within predefined deviation parameters said Cybercode is in the correct position in the predetermined sequence and marking that it has now been used;    means for rejecting a request which fails any of said checks and notifying said vendor accordingly via said Filter Program;    means for substituting, in a request which has passed all checks, the relevant card number for said Cybercoupon and transmitting said request with said substituted card number, to the card issuer's standard processing system;    means for retaining a record of all incoming requests which contained Cybercoupons and said relevant card numbers which have been passed to the card issuer's standard processing system;    means for processing of said request for authorization by the card issuer's standard processing system in accordance with its standard criteria;    means for responding by said card issuer's said standard processing system to said Translator Program that said request has been rejected if said criteria have not been met;    means for responding by said card issuer's said standard processing system to said Translator Program that said request has been accepted if said criteria have been met;    means for replacing, by said Translator Program of said card number with said original Cybercoupon;    means for transmitting said response containing said Cybercoupon by said Translator Program to said Filter Program;    means for transmitting said response by the Filter Program to the vendor; and    means for transmitting said response to the user.